Month: March 2010

Some thoughts running through my head today… There was a time when I think I was much more balanced, much less likely to anger others with my opinions, much more thoughtful of how my words would land with certain people. And then Facebook happened. I should say at the outset, the blame for thoughtless words Read more about How Facebook is Ruining Me[…]

Yesterday was our first full day of clinic. Lots of people, a few happy stories (the woman who was told she had an inoperable cancer got to be told at our clinic that no, it was just a fibroid) and many sad one. The saddest are those with the issues that in the States would Read more about Haiti- Day 4[…]

Yesterday was packed. After a good, chilly night's sleep (it's been cold here- especially at night- everyone is commenting that it's very unusual), we had breakfast, put on our Sunday-Go-To-Meetin' clothes and piled in the cars to head down the road. Pastor Delamy is a district superintendent with the Free Methodists, and has a number Read more about Haiti- day 3[…]

Yesterday was our first full day here and we took it a little slow. After a leisurely get-up, we worked in the clinic for a few hours sorting medicines and supplies and pre-packaging some gastro-intestinal packs of pepto/antibiotics and other things to fight off the GI bug that's endemic here. After lunch we got to Read more about Haiti- Day 2[…]

What a trip. Almost 24 hours after we left Portland, we arrived in Terre Blanche. The plane rides were fine, though packed. And the PDX to San Francisco to Miami to Hiati route felt long, but the real fun started when we arrived here in country. Lots of people here to help- I've seen Japanese, Read more about Haiti- Trip there and first morning[…]

This year I have the privilege to again help out with the Ecclesia Network's annual church planter training/Bootcamp. I'm so excited for the conversations, the missional energy and especially again being back at Richmond Hill, a former monastery and current community of prayer in the midst of Richmond. Such a peaceful place, and such a Read more about Œ±Œ≥Œ≥ŒµŒªŒøœÇ 2010 Church Planter Training[…]

I've often wished I could write off church… It certainly would make life easier in many ways and at least I'd get to sleep in on Sundays. But, I'm beginning to think that if I truly understand the Gospel… I just can't.

More and more people are declaring "I want to follow Jesus… I just can't handle church." The rise of the free-range Christian along with its attendant cynicism towards all things institutional has been one of the big stories of the last couple of years, most notably highlighted in George Barna's book Revolution.

In it, Barna describes a new movement that "entails drawing people away from reliance upon a local church into a deeper connection with and reliance upon God."

He envisions a generation "choosing from a proliferation of options, weaving together a set of favored alternatives into a unique tapestry that constitutes the personal 'church' of the individual."

I'm gearing up to head to Haiti on Thursday. Can't say my mind is entirely there yet, but it will be soon enough. This has been an insanely stressful week- lots of little things adding up, lots of pressure, not a lot of balance or self-care. We always talk about pastors burning out or flaming out Read more about This week…[…]